Heath Ryan
Discipline: Eventing/Dressage
Home town: Heatherbrae, New South Wales
How did your love of the horse begin?
Santa brought me my first horse called Trigger when I was 12 years of age. Trigger was special because he could pull a wooden sled that I made, and on Sundays we would go down the Black Hill road which was dirt in those days and visit the local dump. I would fill the sled up with all sorts of treasures and Trigger would take them all home for me! Trigger was also good in the quietest pony classes. I had three younger brothers and all four of us could ride Trigger at the same time in the show ring. We were very competitive!
What are your competition achievements highlights?
I have ridden for Australia at the Olympics and at the World Championships and at the World Cup Dressage Freestyle Finals. So I have ridden at these championships in both Dressage and Three Day Eventing.
What are your goals?
I have a fabulous team of talented girls working for Rozzie and myself at Ryans Horses and it is my vision that these girls are individual medallists at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games in both Dressage and in Eventing.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your team.
We don’t have any grooms in our team. Everyone is a rider and everyone is on a Ryans High Performance Program. We operate at the top end of Dressage as in Grand Prix, and at the top end of Eventing as in 4* and 5* classes. Nearly every weekend of the year some of us are away competing. Sometimes these are the little local shows and sometimes they are the big shows around Australia.
Most mornings I start teaching at 6am. Often this first lesson is reserved for staff. The rest of the staff start at 7.30am and we all come in once the job is finished. If we are inside by 8pm we think we have had a good day! We are all genuinely trying to be better and better riders and that is just hard work.
What are your favourite products from Horseland you use, and why?
The products that perform with the horse and the rider on the front lines are particularly appreciated by me. Eg. Collegiate Bridles and breastplates, Comfy Fleece dressage boots, WeatherBeeta saddle pads, WeatherBeeta rugs, and WeatherBeeta travel boots.